Placement of Modern and Classical Language Students

It is the responsibility of the school to determine on appropriate placement for a student who has some proficiency in a language other than English and wishes to continue the study of that language through courses available at the school. The following guidelines and assessment tools should be used.

Students who have studied a language in middle school and indicate an intention to continue study of that language in high school should be given a recommended placement by the middle school teacher. The recommendation should take into account the level of coursework the student has undertaken in middle school and successful completion of instruction which is the equivalent of high school prerequisites. If there is doubt, the student and parent should be consulted to determine which placement will serve the best interests of the student.

If no previous teacher recommendation is available, the high school should make the placement. If the language is Spanish, the APS Spanish for Bilinguals Test may be used when a preliminary interview indicates that the student may be eligible for placement at an advanced level. The test is available at each high school from the Modern and Classical Languages department chairperson or from the District’s testing services department. If the language in question is other than Spanish, the teacher of that language should interview the student and recommend appropriate placement.

In the case of Spanish students whose home language is Spanish, the Spanish for Bilinguals Test will determine whether the student will be advised to register for Spanish for Bilinguals I or II or in Spanish Language Arts.